New cathedral for Raleigh?

The Catholic Diocese of Raleigh announced Monday it's conducting a feasibility study to explore the possibility of building a new cathedral.

It said Sacred Heart Church - which was constructed prior to the Diocese of Raleigh being established in 1924 - was never intended or designed to serve as a cathedral. The Diocese cited limited seating, no bathroom facilities in the building, and limited parking as reasons for building a new place of worship.

It also said the church serves more and more people every year. The Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish has grown by 86 percent increase over the last ten years.

The announcement of the study made no mention of cost, location, or design.

Church officials said more than 200 church leaders would be interviewed for their thoughts on the plan and thousands of parishioners will be mailed surveys.

The study - to be conducted by Graham-Pelton Consulting - is to be finished by June.